New Orleans - along with the nine other cities that submitted bids -- is a finalist for the right to host the 2012-16 Men's Final Fours. The other cities/areas that submitted bids are: Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, North Texas, Phoenix, San Antonio and St. Louis.

Sites are scheduled to be awarded in November.

"Our committee has been overwhelmed and impressed by the creativity and attention to detail in the bids received from the bid cities," Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and chair of the NCAA men's basketball committee, said in a statement. "Each of these cities can be proud that they have been well-represented."

The bid process began earlier this year and meetings were conducted until bids were submitted in June. Site visits will be conducted over the coming weeks leading up to in-person presentations by each city prior to the committee's final decisions in November.

New Orleans is centering its efforts on landing the 2012 Final Four not just because it is the first one available but because of major conventions scheduled in the city in 2013 and 2014 which would leave a shortage of hotel rooms.

Eight of the other nine cities have either played host to a Final Four or are scheduled to do so in the next three years.

The ninth, Phoenix is considered to be in strong position to get a Final Four because the University of Phoenix Stadium in suburban Glendale is the only domed stadium west of San Antonio since the Seattle Kingdome was imploded several years ago.

Indianapolis, because of a contract that brought the NCAA headquarters to that city, is guaranteed an NCAA event every year, would seem likely to land the 2015 Final Four, although it must meet the same requirements as the other cities.

Detroit and Houston, which have the 2009 and 2011 Final Fours respectively, would be considered for the end of the cycle, if then.